The 4:8 Principle

One of our dear friends from Baylor days, Sandra Tindel, who lives in Tyler, came by on a Sunday afternoon recently just to catch up and have a visit. She is a genuinely positive, faith filled and prayer believing follower of Christ. The term indefatigable applies to her. She is a natural prayer warrior. Leslie and I, and our children- love her dearly, and she and her life mate, Andy Tindel, have loved us for over 30 years and that love has pervaded our children since they were born. They are their “Aunt Sandy, and Uncle Andy”.

Sandy always seems to have a large bag with her, and has books, trinkets, call phones, and “God knows what”  in that bag. (It always seems to match her outfit.) Anyone who attended Whitney’s wedding in 2004 knows who she is—she is an accomplished pianist, and is musically gifted. Andy is a brilliant trial lawyer, but allows Sandy to take the spotlight when they are together. Andy is a saint in his own right. But, as I mentioned, Sandy takes the center stage. That’s just who she is.

During our visit, she mentioned and lauded a book she had read, called the “4:8 Principle” by Tommy Newberry, a book by a man I had never heard of. She mentioned that it is a life changing book, about a life changing principle.

I began reading this book yesterday afternoon.

It is indeed life changing and is what I needed in my life at this point in time. It focuses on Philippians 4:8 and the way that verse insists on how the Holy Spirit can be changing our thoughts, and our thought patterns, daily, moment by moment. It is a prescription for JOY.

The byline for the book is” The Secret to a Joy Filled Life”. The premise is very simple, but appears to me to be very true and very applicable to my life.

Thanks be to God for this message, and for my friends and co-laborers in the faith, Sandy and Andy Tindel.

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